Consonant Opus
by Re.Domo-kun
Summary: Any gamer admits to having the dream of being in a video game, to be the hero and save the world. What they don't usually acknowledge is the infinite number of ways they could die. I should know, since I've the (mis)fortune of getting isekai'd into Aincrad of SAO. But I'm absolutely determined to survive with my new comrades. Even if it means to break a few rules along the way.
1. A Generic Isekai Beginning

**Disclaimer: I do not own the _Sword Art Online_ series. This is a fanfiction purely made for entertainment.**

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**CHAPTER 01: A Generic Isekai Beginning**

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**_System Call: compile priority list: calculating_**

**_Progress: 72% out of 100… completed_**

**_[Read List - 8,953 Players logged in]_**

**_Request: Add new Player, initiate intro login_**

**_DATA:_**

**_ Required = text( 'SAO . lgn' )_**

**_~data {beginnertop} {beginnerbottoms} {beginnergloves} {beginnerboots} {beginnerswor-_**

**_Error: code72237 not compatible_**

**_[Initiate program_74435337 . exe]_**

**_Attempt: 5623464_**

**_Progress: 32% out of 100…_**

**_ Progress completed_**

**_[Authenticating Player], System Call: generate field elements_**

* * *

I blinked once, unable to process the sight before me.

Twice before rubbing my eyelids to dispel whatever's obscuring my eyesight.

A third time for good measure before I had to accept that what I'm seeing was definitely not a hallucination.

There's an open sky above me, bright and sunny. Light blue, with fluffy wisps of white clouds. Surrounding me were wild green grass fields with hills of varying heights. Occasional patches of what appeared to be deciduous trees here and there, and far out in the distance are…

My thoughts trailed off into a sudden pause.

…

_Are those floating islands?!_

Oh wait, on a closer look, the "islands" were balanced on thin peaks protruding from the mountains thousands of meters away on the horizon.

Great. Just great.

_Not that it makes that much of a difference._

Excuse me while I take this moment to panic a little (read as: mentally scream random gibberish, profanities, and the occasional "I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore" quote repeatedly within the depths of my mind).

_Deep breath in, then exhale. Repeat process two more times._

Okay, so after a few seconds of standing there and borderline hyperventilating, I managed to calm myself down and take stock of a list of events of what could have possibly got me here.

One: My timeline was completely off. Moments before, I was out at a small market at night buying snacks and drinks. The moment I made my purchase and stepped out of the exit, I was blinded by a flash of light and found myself standing here in broad daylight of midday.

Two: I was wearing different clothes compared to what I am currently wearing right now: a dark purple long-sleeve shirt, a bland-looking chestplate leather armor, black cloth pants secured by a common belt, black boots, and leather gloves. It was almost as if someone secretly took their time to dress me up while I was unconscious - okay, that's just plain creepy; aborting that line of thought right there.

Three: My right hand that was holding a plastic bag containing the purchased snacks was instead grasping a shield. If I had to guess, it's made of iron, with a simple series of engraved lines as decorations and a violet orb straight on the center. Just like my chestplate, it felt light, but at the same time there was a significant weight to it that immediately signaled that it was a genuine medieval tool used for defense instead of a mere prop for movies.

…Doesn't this sound like a plot for a random light novel or anime series? Was I hit by Truck-kun or something? Doubtful, there was no sign of honking nor flashes of pain. The store that I shopped at was located away from the main streets, after all!

I couldn't help but facepalm myself either way. "God dammit," I groaned out loud. "I've been isekai'd into another world."

Displaced. Imprisoned by some higher entity out there into an environment unfamiliar to what I am normally accustomed to, perhaps. I could easily imagine the number of beings of significant power from the many forms of modern media that have the power and incentive to do this, yet all those names I can come up with ring alarms of dread.

To sum it up, they're just bored and want entertainment. What kind of entertainment, you may ask? Well, it varies from wanting to view how small changes from an uncounted factor could ripple into deviating the natural order, to indulging themselves in utterly severe cases of sadism, tragedy, and suffering so that they could sate their lust for despair.

After all, I can understand the effects that boredom can do to any individual. Plus it's pretty much a standard in any fictional plot from any fanfiction out there. Hooray for common isekai tropes!

Still, unfamiliar medieval world or not, I've gotten through eighteen years of my life by forming a goal and following the required steps to accomplish it, while making adaptations to any changes when necessary. When said goal is finally achieved, then form a new destination and start over again. It's a process that hasn't failed me _completely_ back then, and if it ain't broke, then there's no need to change that anytime soon.

Not the best plan, I admit, but simple answers tend to be the best ones to solve problems.

I picked a random direction towards what could be a dirt trail and immediately started wandering off.

…

…

…

That's a little further than I had originally estimated. But it's not too bad, the wonderful weather here made me feel content despite being an introvert who would rather spend his days inside doodling digital drawings for webtoons and animations. Not to say that I was a shut-in or a hikikomori, though, since I do make it a point to go out jogging and do common workout exercises everyday to at least be fit enough to be healthy.

I guess that the training exercises back when I went through martial arts training several years back still stuck through after all this time.

That being said, there was nothing special with the road I now find myself on. Just a common trail that stretched beyond from one end of the horizon to another.

Just how wide and open was this area for me to be unable to find any significant landmarks?

…Huh. Now that I'm actually taking the time to look around the scenery, I can't help but notice something rather peculiar.

'Domeki.' One word that's hanging in the top left corner of my vision in a vaguely familiar white font and next to it was a little green bar. Any attempts to turn my head to get a better view of it only resulted in it moving with the motion simultaneously, like an annoying eye floater that just wouldn't disappear when first noticed until forgotten.

Just like a HUD display from video games that I had played. Although… whoever set up my in-game ID somehow knew to set it for the standard character name that I always used for my video games as well. It was a bit unsettling, but I shrugged it off.

"I guess this confirms that instead of an actual medieval world, I'm in a video game that has a medieval setting." I confirmed out loud to myself. Or it could be a parallel world where every individual could see a HUD display just like that protagonist from the Korean webtoon _The Gamer_?

_That's not that much of a difference, though, so why note it?_

Quiet you, my mind.

I guessed that also explains why my current clothes look so much like a typical beginner low-level starter equipment set. But how does one check their inventory again? There's a lack of a _Start_ button or any other form of interactable UI that I can notice at this moment… Was it some form of hand signal?

I thrusted my hand out in a series of random hand positions and poses such as a Kamehameha, a Kage Bushin no Jutsu, and Spider-man's web shooting.

No response, of course. Nobody else would think of doing such cringy movements to check one's inventory. Even with the lack of notable people here to witness what I just did, I immediately wanted to crawl into a hole and bury myself out of shame for even considering them, yet alone actually attempting them.

Ahem, back to the subject at hand, though… perhaps vocal commands would make a difference?

With a brief cough to clear my throat, I uttered out a command. "Open Inventory."

_No response._

"Equipment."

_Nothing._

"Uh… main menu? Skills? Status? Anything at all?"

_Rejected. Denied. Nope. Nada._

I couldn't help but let out an irritated scoff at the lack of progress.

I might have lost myself in stewing frustration if it wasn't for the loud audible snort off to my right.

A boar. It's been a while since I've seen these critters around. Mainly because I've only seen them in the zoo or at Discovery channel back on television.

Except while those were fairly docile and minded their own business (plus the safety of 'they're just a recording on TV'), this blue-furred beast had bulging muscles tensed up and ready to spring into action as its front hooves pawed at the soil to build up momentum. As I twirled around, startled at its sudden appearance, the boar's red eyes glowed with malicious delight as it tilted its head and aimed its tusks at my gut, as if already relishing on the idea of ripping into my entrails.

I couldn't help but curse myself for not paying attention to anything potentially dangerous earlier as the boar bursted off from its position and sprinted straight at me with all the force its muscles could muster.

…

It's slower than I initially thought.

This realization brought up both feelings of relief and disappointment at the same time. Expectations subverted, I guess?

I easily swerved to the side and watched the animal trot past, unable to adjust its direction to my sudden change in position. The boar let out huffs and puffs of what sounded like anger as it stumbled to turn 180 degrees to face towards me again.

It grunted as I reached over to my back in hopes of drawing forth a weapon such as a sheathed sword aaaand there's no weapon whatsoever.

Well, _shit_.

I gritted my teeth and took a guarded stance as the boar took the chance to charge at me again.

A couple of second passes, and the boar was close enough for me to pick up each strand of fur on its filthy head.

I let out a bellowing roar as I swung my right arm and bashed my shield right at the beast's face. It yelped in shock as my shield caved straight through its tusk, shattering the protruding tooth before my shield crashed straight through its jawline

The boar jerked back from the impact, and I found a large red electronic gash from where my shield impacted its skull as it flopped to the floor. stunned. A bar appeared right next to its twitching figure, where a portion of it emptied out. Its health point bar, I absentmindedly assumed as I rushed in and began an unforgiving series of attacks that instinctively drove my body. A left punch drilling into the snout, a devastating stomp to its ribs, repeated shield bashes to the temples.

From the viewpoint of any bystanders that could be around watching this, the sight was unrefined, dirty, and outright unnecessarily brutal.

It took about another minute before I let out a scream and landed the final blow onto the boar, now covered with red lacerations that resemble polygons of an unfinished 3D model from ZBrush, before it finally exploded into a shower of prismatic pixelated shards.

Exhausted, I tried to catch a few breaths to recollect myself before stumbling back onto the earth and observed the white window that now floats from where the boar finally expired.

_**Result:**_

_**Exp: 24**_

_**Col: 30**_

_**Items: 2**_

_Well_, I numbly thought to myself. _At least this 100% confirms that I'm in some random role-playing video game._

* * *

…

Grass is green! Trees are brown! Boars are blue! This is boring…!

Minutes turned into hours, and before I knew it, the sky gradually turned orange as the sun was setting.

I've been assailed by the local pests (read: more blue furred boars), and although it was easier for me to take them down compared to my first victory, it still was a mind-numbing chore to continuously strike them down repeatedly without a proper weapon.

By the time I slugged through my thirtieth boar, I couldn't help but wonder if I was doing something wrong.

If these boars were this game's equivalent to the common slime in other RPGs (which, in my personal opinion, is utter _bullshit_ with how strong slimes can actually be if their natural abilities and racial traits are utilized to their full potential), then there must be something wrong if it took me this much effort for me to take a single monster down.

Most likely it's due to how I don't have a bladed weapon equipped, and that I don't know how to use skills as attacks which I bet require said bladed weapon in the first place.

Sometimes being the noob just plain sucks.

While my offensive stats were low, on the positive side my defense stats were rather high.

A bit earlier I was attacked by two boars at the same time, and while I managed to prevent one from headbutting a direct critical hit to my chest, the second got a weak thrust scored at my side. My equipped clothes and skin underneath appeared to peel away in a bright red slash and a small portion of my health bar smudged down. After sucker punching the two with repeated actions into digital shards, I then realized that although I did feel the pressure from the cheap shot, it wasn't painful for what normally would be a crippling blow from a boar.

Boars in real life are legitimately dangerous. They can weigh up to 600 pounds (about 273 kilograms) and can easily outrun their prey, and their tusks are sharp from constantly gnashing their teeth and coating them in bacteria that can lead to severe infection.

They were one of the main reasons why hunters in the past before modern antibiotics died in the wild even after surviving an encounter, after all. Hooray for random tidbits and facts of the day.

I, on the other hand, was for all intents and purposes just fine and dandy. About 15 minutes later, I realized that I must have some kind of health regen perk when I noticed that my health bar inched to full like any damage never happened.

I'm still bothered by the lack of pain from the damage, though. Sure, nobody in their right mind would want to feel pain, but people have their nervous system for good reason. It's an excellent signal that we are still alive despite any wound, as well as a crucial way of engraving to the mind to learn from the experience and take steps to avoid it completely in any future opportunities.

The lack of pain meant that it's rather easy to forget that one's critically damaged even when struck, and I could easily expire without even realizing it if I don't constantly check my health bar. I don't want to risk discovering what happens when my hit points drop down to empty.

Maybe I'll get revived at a town or something, but it's a fairly common and well-known trope that death is still death in any world, fictional or not, and should be avoided whatsoever.

_That's way too much exposition overall right there._

Hush, you. Dammit I couldn't help but let my mind wander off in order to distract myself from my current reality.

Speaking of feelings, My throat's really parched right now. I don't feel pain, but feelings of thirst and hunger are still around?

I should have prioritized obtaining water and food first instead of wandering around aimlessly instead.

…

…

Oh wait, I spy with my little eye a small river up ahead!

Sprinting over to the creek, I hastily kneeled as close as I could without soaking myself in the water, and stared down at the river that looked so clean and pure it made me feel even thirstier than before.

And I stared even longer in disbelief at the unfamiliar sight that's being reflected right back.

Rather, it is a familiar sight, but not what I normally expect to see when one looks at a reflection.

Instead of my usual face, I see the face of an original character that I had recently designed a week ago for a potential story of mine. Brown hair, fair features, and a pair of purple-colored eyes currently wide in shock, I tentatively patted my cheeks and watched the figure on the surface of the water do the exact same motion at the same time.

My lord, this is really surreal. Some higher being must have generously provided me with the body of a character I myself had designed to be my character avatar here?

But I quickly shrugged off any wandering thoughts, as my thirst now demanded for water. I quickly pulled off my leather gloves, scooped up water with both of my palms and took a sip.

…!

I could practically hear the crash of thunder and a chorus of angels singing a hymn as soon as the river water made contact with my tongue. The gongs of a large bell vibrated in the air far out in the distance as I immediately reached down for another handful of water.

_Ah~ That's refreshing_, was my only thought as I re-equipped my gloves. Man, how thirsty was I to imagine an angelic chorus and that ceaseless bell that's still ringing?

Huh.

I still hear that bell echoing across the fields even now.

Ah! Sudden flash of blue light!

My eyes, they _burn_…!

I instinctively flinched and squeezed my eyes shut as my entire body underwent a surreal feeling of weightlessness akin to when a ball hits the peak of a throw, and almost immediately, gravity gets right back to work and I stumbled onto the solid floor again.

Clearing the spots in my eyes and grumbling about unwanted surprises, I focused myself and discovered that I'm… surrounded by a mob of people whose numbers were only exponentially getting higher with each flash of light bringing newcomers of various sizes, colors, and shapes.

A forced teleport? That's a rather unsettling sensation, being teleported. Although… why am I here with a whole bunch of stranger dangers? For what reason? And how did I not manage to encounter any of them earlier when I was stumbling about during the day?

I could feel chills creepily rising in the back of my spine.

This entire scene was eerily looking rather familiar, almost as if this was some deja vu or a forgotten memory residing in some obscure location in the back of my brain.

The emotion that I could almost feel on the pores of my skin then shifted drastically when the bell located at the direct center stopped tolling, from common bewilderment to alarm. Someone pointed to the sky, and everyone, myself included, followed our gazes to where a wide, red hexagon flashed in the sky like the emergency lights found in an airplane.

I could barely read it, but there was a text of "Warning" right in the center of said pulsating hexagon, before it suddenly bleed across the late afternoon sky until all I could see was nothing but the honeycomb-esque patterns that engulfed the entire light into an unearthly red tone.

A sanguine fluid-like substance began to flow through the edges of each hexagon before congealing into a pool like one of my chemistry project backs in high school. With a crackle of electricity, it gradually took on a more solid shape of a giant cloaked man whose face was obscured by its hood.

"A GM?" I heard someone murmur among the crowd as whispers began to pick up.

The cloaked figure spread its arms wide. "Attention, players." The loud voice of a male thundered across through my ears, as if it was the voice of some deity proclaiming its judgement to the unworthy masses. "Welcome to my world. My name is Kayaba Akihiko."

All thoughts in my head came to a screeching halt.

"I am currently the one and only person who can control this world. I'm sure that you've all already noticed that the logout button on the main menu has been removed. However, this is by no means a mistake."

There's no way. No way at all.

"I repeat… It is not a mistake…"

Holy hell.

"…but a feature of the true Sword Art Online."

I'm in the beginning act of Sword Art Online. The day when the first VRMMORPG was released in the near future. The "First Day."

The very same day where 10,000 excited people, eager to experience a whole brand new video game experience in what's practically another world, get trapped in a death game by the whims of the psychotic genius known as Kayaba Akihiko.

The very same person who's giving his iconic announcement through this giant red avatar right here, and may also be hidden within the player crowd.

So much regret built up inside me. Back when SAO was airing on television as an animated series, I only skimmed through the episodes of season one, gave up watching season two halfway through, and didn't even bother to start watching season three. I heard that there was a movie for it which I obviously now lament on not watching, and I never even touched the Progressive light novel series, not to mention the video game series that may have additional information to expand more on the world.

…I may know what happened in certain pivotal points of the original source material, but otherwise I am completely out of my element now that I'm actually in this world.

_Shieeet._

Kayaba proceeded on dropping bombshells on the stunned players all around me. How attempts to remove the NerveGear will result in a giant microwave that would destroy their brains and that already two hundred and thirteen people had already "retired from both this world and the real one."

My heart sank upon watching a live broadcast of a news channel displayed on one of the windows Kayaba opened up to prove his truth, where both a mother and a sister of one of the newly deceased players were sobbing while EMS trucks crowded the streets around their household.

The GM then proposed the stick and the carrot: that all methods of revival in the game will no longer function and that people whose health bar hits zero will receive a microwave burst that would kill them in real life as well. "There is only one condition you must meet to be free," Akihiko's avatar mechanically explained, his voice dispassionately calm as if he was only discussing the weather. "The completion of the game."

To sum it up, clear all one hundred floors of Aincrad, the floating castle in the sky of Sword Art Online.

"And lastly, I've prepared a present for all of you in your item storages."

…Oh dear. If I remember correctly, it's probably at this point where I should prepare brain bleach for the truths about to unravel.

Everyone began to interact with their own UI. Discreetly eyeing the closest individual's hand movements, I did my best to mimic them. Let's see… place my right index finger and thumb together, and then pull downwards.

Immediately a ringing sound effect echoed out as a floating window of the Main Menu blinked in front of me.

_So that's how you access the main menu…_

I tapped on Inventory, and just like how I remembered from the anime, there was a mirror stored within which I summoned into existence. Upon glancing at the mirror, a bright flash of light blinded my retinas for the second time of the day and caused me to squeeze my eyes shut.

A few seconds passed by before I tentatively decided to open my eyes again, only to see my disappointingly normal appearance back on my reflection once again.

Compared to my original character's appearance, not much has changed from my 175 centimeters in height, but my hair was now back to its original dark-almost black-toned brown color, and my facial features were more plain and common to a normal Korean individual.

Amidst the rest of the players here who were primarily Japanese, I could pass off as one of them if people don't scrutinize and compare me to themselves.

And my eyes. Ugh. The same lifeless dull brown eyes of mine that I always disliked seeing the first thing in the morning were back.

I ignored the shouts of astonishment and shock that pick up around me from the other players, pointedly attempting to ignore the now cross-dressing people who must had female avatars from the beginning, while looking out for any one of the main characters of the original series who must be here as well.

…

It's no use. There were too many strangers around here.

Kayaba Akihiko must have finished his speech while I was desperately looking for any familiar faces, since static noises began to ring as the giant cloaked figure floating in the sky dissolved into pixels. Once the giant messenger of the GM faded from sight, the alarm-red hexagonal honeycomb formation across the sky poofed out of existence, revealing the afternoon sky as if the events several minutes ago was just a figment of the imagination.

Leaving behind about nine thousand, seven-hundred and eighty-seven players in deafening silence.

…

**CRACK!**

The sound of breaking glass, perhaps from a stunned player who dropped their mirror onto the floor, reverberated across the entire stadium as if someone fired a gunshot and broke the chilling tranquility.

And then with the force of a live volcano, utter pandemonium erupted across the entire town.

* * *

I slammed the door of the room I had stormed into shut and with a few, shaking steps, collapsed onto the pillows of the bed face-first.

Panic. Hysterics. Rage. Fear. Despair.

Never before had I felt this heavy surge of guttural raw emotions weigh down upon my entire presence back in the normality of my original life.

The majority of the other players had been waving their trembling fists and screaming out to the skies above where Kayaba's avatar disappeared, unable to accept their current situation. Others, overwhelmed by their newly discovered mortality, already collapsed to their knees like broken dolls with their strings snipped off.

Back then, I attempted to look for anyone that I could recognize from my fragmented memories of watching the anime, pushing aside the various people freaking out over their new situation so that I could trek through the sea of gamers who had just wanted to have fun in this virtual environment.

Kirito. Klein. Asuna. Silica. Lisbeth… I rubbed the temples of my forehead and furiously racked my brain in order to remember any signs of a clue of their whereabouts from the broken memories of my view of the first episode of the anime while proceeding on my search.

About twenty minutes of scrambling around the town, I had no choice but to grit my teeth and give up.

"Shit," I had cursed out loud in my Korean native tongue, causing some of the nearby players and NPCs to turn their heads in my direction. By now, Kirito must have already left this town in order to get a head start in farming for stronger equipment. Plus, the anime's brief scene cuts displaying the heroines' reactions back during the announcement weren't detailed enough to be helpful for me to find them.

Let's say that with the aid of some miracle I _do_ find them, what in the world am I supposed to say upon meeting? "Hey, I think you're pretty important and blessed with OP plot armor, let's stick to each other until we reach the endgame"?

That's just going to make me look like a creeper, especially since most of the people I bet I can recognize on sight were the girls who would eventually come to care deeply for the protagonist Kirito! I, on the other hand, would only appear as a suspicious stalker preying on the members of the initial playerbase's significantly smaller female population.

That's when I found myself inside the local inn, somehow managing to have enough of the in-game currency of col obtained from my tussel against the boars earlier to pay the NPC inn owner for a night. The automated town civilian, who looked startled upon my embittered appearance, had shakedly pointed directions to my room which I wearily followed.

I rolled over the sheets to face the wooden ceiling, thoughts brewing around like a tempest and inducing an even more painful headache.

It's one thing to view this scene through the lens of a TV screen, but I doubt that I can ever forget the cries of injustice and curses still ringing in my eardrums now that I'm actually physically (or virtually) here on the front row seats experiencing the same exact moment.

Do the same risks that everyone here even apply to me, an outsider-turned participant? Do I also have a NerveGear strapped on my head out there and ready to fry my brain the moment my HP hits zero?

I'm not going to test that anytime soon, no way, sir.

Also to note, back when I heard the other players speaking, I immediately passed it off as me noting the common dialogue that viewers can easily pick up from watching anime, but at this point how did I, a person who only understands English, Korean, Spanish, and only a limited amount of Japanese words and phrases, become so fluent in the last mentioned language?

I can actually read the moonscribbles that make up kanji. Pick up the differences between it and hiragana. And based on some sentences that I tested by speaking them to myself, I pretty much skipped years of Japanese language classes and became all-around fluent, for crying out loud!

_Damn generic isekai self-insert fanfiction tropes._

Not that I'm seriously complaining, since it's convenient for me after all. But just like how CinemaSins would say, "a sin is a sin."

Feeling my eyelids getting heavier by the second, I couldn't help but feel both overjoyed and sick at myself.

On one hand, I'm experiencing something only protagonists would go through. A literal goldmine for people to experience an "another world" trope and actively try to be a hero from a fantasy story, fighting monsters and saving girls in dungeons.

On another, I'm now a participant in a death game in a virtual world, where ten thousand of us will go through extreme despair, grief, insanity, and tragedy. And if I remember correctly, around three to four _thousand_ people actually _did_ end up dying.

Heck, two hundred and thirteen people are already deceased as of this moment due to the unfortunate actions of their concerned relatives and friends who had unknowingly forcibly removed their gaming headsets, and that number of casualties will only grow even higher with suicides, monster deaths, and player killers.

No More Continues. Dead End. Game Over.

Now that I began thinking about it, how twisted must Kayaba be to kick-start off whatever insane plan he had to have friends, acquaintances, heck, even family indirectly kill their own relatives by forcibly removing the Nervegear upon wondering why there's no response?

He must be stopped. And I know for sure that Kirito will eventually do that.

But as much as I wanted to be a hero and do my best to prevent people from dying, I'm just a single person. A figurative temporal fish that's out of the water and into a whole another dimension.

I'm far from the person anyone wanted and expected me to be.

Even myself.

But if there's even the smallest chance that I can make a difference…

If at least one more person could be saved because I chose to actually do something…

_Damn_ I'm still going to try nevertheless.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Curse you, plot bunnies, the bane of my existence! Why do you have to continuously multiply like Catholic rabbits every time I watch a series or read a book? I gave this small pitch for a self-insert fanfic story to my acquaintances who had every opportunity to stop me like any other sane person should, but instead they did the exact opposite.**

**So yeah, this is my latest projects so far outside of some original stories that I'm still going through character designs and development hell for. A friend of mine actually convinced me to take a seat and actually rewatch the first season of Sword Art Online, which got my muse all piqued and interested and now this happened.**

**A few things I feel I should warn you readers, though:**

**I'm not kidding when I say that I forgot majority of the plot and details in Sword Art Online. Add in the fact that I never got around to reading the Progressive light novels, played none of the games, nor watched the movie Ordinal Scale and Season 3 starring the Alicization arc, I'm bound to miss some details and information here and there. It's why I'll be watching the episodes of the anime while I write each chapter so that Domeki would share the exact same feelings and emotions as I had felt now that he's living through it, and even then it's not enough to capture the feeling of the world without reading the light novels. I'd really appreciate some additional information about any side stories or other characters from you kind readers out there who are willing to lend a hand.**

**Yes, this fic is going to end up as a Kirito/Harem story. I know, it's pretty unrealistic and people who support other ships are bound to get disappointed. Unfortunately, just like how a certain hero of justice once said, "I can't save (read: please) everyone."**

**The length of each chapter will be as long as they need to be, but due to my hectic schedule IRL it's going to be a bit difficult to have regular updates. I know, I know, I'm already having trouble with my God Eater fanfic which may be dead all this time now, and I pray to my muse that it won't happen to this one now that I got motivated to actually take the time to work on it.**

**I also feel that I should state that this story may have light-hearted moments due to the somewhat sarcastic and self-aware manner that the MC may display, but if what I heard from the original SAO series is right, there are bound to be some dark scenes down the road. I'll try to put a warning up at the beginning of the concerned chapters.**

**Alright, then. Let's have fun, and please review~ Reviews and acknowledgement provide the motivation for me to keep on working through the toughest of times, as well as an opportunity to learn from any mentioned mistakes and grow as a creator.**


	2. Illusionary Dawn

**Disclaimer:** **I do not own the **_**Sword Art Online**_ **series. This is a fanfiction purely made for entertainment.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 02: Illusionary Dawn**

* * *

November 7, 2022:

A certain disgruntled high school student who's the hero we need but not the one we deserve once said that "to work is to lose." It is a phrase that matched the unfortunate wage-slave reality that awaited most artists and animators. On that note, may the people who work at Japanese animation studios have good fortune; they truly toil numerous sleepless nights just to produce the entertainment for us filthy consumer pigs to enjoy.

But this quote has the misfortune of not working in this virtual world.

To _not_ work is to _lose_, the exact opposite of the previously mentioned adage, rang true for us gamers now forced to live in this new reality.

That doesn't mean that I completely abhorred the work that awaits me from here on. It was true that this new occupation of Adventurer in a virtual-reality video game was forced upon me against my will.

I did not hate the prospects of this new job at all.

No sane, youthful, and hot-blooded male, especially those who had spent their younger days playing video games and indulging in fantasy stories, would not enjoy killing monsters for a living. It's our dreams now turned to actual possibility as self-inserts.

_Sure, let's all forget the fact that going out to hunt monsters for drops and loot could significantly increase your chances of dying._

It's with that mood-killing thought where I finished stretching out my limbs and glanced out the window of the inn. Taking the moment to watch the sun slowly rise out of the horizon and mark the beginning of a new day, I briefly recalled what I had studied about two hours ago.

Information is absolutely _crucial_ in any situation whatsoever. I don't want to be that guy from that online video advertisement who goes around claiming how he's in his garage with a brand new Lamborghini due to reading books for knowledge, but sometimes taking a moment to research on the most basic of things can be that one small yet defining factor between life and death.

I'm talking about reading the beginner's manual.

Located in the Main Menu, under the Help tab in Options. I could finally access it now that I learned how to do so by observing the players interacting with their own system commands yesterday. A plethora of information spread out in a digital layout before me: Inventory/Equipment, Items, Skills, Friends/Guild, Communications, and Maps/Quests. All organized in simple, easy to comprehend instructions along with a quick overview of the interface and the various systems of the game.

This was one of those really simple things that people tend to overlook, and I'm honestly scared to consider the number of casualties that could have been prevented if people actually took the time to read the damn manual so that they can get the basics engraved into their new daily lives.

_To be fair on their part, people hate studying, which is essentially what reading all of this is._

Objection! This isn't prep for school exams, this is making sure you have a solid foundation for survival! You either suck it up and do it, or risk the dire consequences in a death game!

I exited my rented room and headed downstairs to where I vaguely remember is the inn's kitchen, ready to eat breakfast that was included with the room fee that I paid the night before.

…

It took me so much effort to not just stare blankly at the dish placed in front of me and let out a depressed sigh. That would be rude to the NPC innkeeper, who's standing nearby and still looking quite nervous around my presence.

All that's being offered for breakfast was just a loaf of bread per person, apparently. Not even toasted or seasoned with anything, and no side dishes whatsoever.

With a twitch in the corner of one of my eyes, I bit into it and do my best to break off a piece of what essentially felt like hardened stone.

_**[Black Bread - Quality : Stale]**_

…

Ugh.

But free food is best food, so I gnawed at the dry sand-like texture and repeated the mechanical movements of chewing until it was safe for me to swallow. Repeat said process until the hunger in my stomach disappeared with the consumption of the simple meal.

_Does it even count as a meal if we're not actually eating real food? Everything here is virtual, after all._

…I'm just going to conclude that Kayaba is an insane genius who can make people feel like they're eating real food despite their real bodies not able to physically obtain sustenance and nutrients without the IV drips provided in hospitals when everyone's comatose bodies moved there.

_You do know that one black bread here is pretty much worth 1 col in the market, right?_

Ignoring the last thought, I activated my personal interface once again and opened up my Inventory, before blinking at the curious sight before me.

…

…What.

… No, seriously. What.

According to the beginner's manual, attempting to do battle without Sword Skills is largely ineffective, equivalent to waving a weapon around without doing damage. I somehow luckily managed to deal with all of those boars from before by whittling away at its health with continuous punches, kicks, and shield bashes even if those weren't really Skills, but if I want to efficiently progress, I should actually use a bladed weapon for attacks.

Sitting in my Inventory was a Basic Sword, along with the Basic Top, Bottoms, Gloves, Boots, and Shield.

However, the notification next to the sword marked across the weapon I wanted to access as _**[Unequippable]**_.

"…The hell is going on here?" I muttered out loud to myself.

Is this some kind of bug? How come I can't equip the Basic Sword?

I furiously tapped on the equip button multiple times, but only got the exact same window response that the weapon was unequippable each time.

And I can't even resort to asking a GM in the Main Menu's Help tab courtesy of Kayaba Akihiko hijacking the server for his dastardly plans, as well.

…Ugh.

So be it, then.

Until I find someone who's willing to party up with a severely limited player that I am and help carry me or get another weapon that I can use or something, I'm going to have to resort to doing what I usually did before. I mean, I managed to survive on my own so far.

I'll just have to exercise even more caution so that I won't end up getting slaughtered by a monster ambush or another violent player.

* * *

Before I exited the town gates, I spent the first half of the day exploring the immensely large town and trying to not get lost in the maze that made up the stone-paved roads. Now that the urgency of trying to figure out what to do from last night cooled off, I greedily took in the sights of the Town of Beginnings.

According to the digital map, this starting town was apparently large enough to hold a city district. There was the central circular stadium-like plaza where everyone got the shocking news, a large black palace at the north side, and a lot of facilities that were essential for starting adventurers.

As an aspiring creator myself, I could appreciate the amount of time and effort that must have been spent on designing the buildings, the streets, and the inhabitants.

I made it a point to not make eye contact with the other players who were sprawled out in the alleys, still despairing over their unfortunate fates.

In order for me to obtain quests for experience points, money, and loot, I had to actually go speak to the every NPC that I could find going about their programmed days, and hope that they had something they want me to do for them due to my lack of experience that beta testers probably already had. Even if they're machinated programs designed to be as human as possible to interact with, my social anxiety made it a bit difficult for me to simply go up to them and be all like, "Yo wassup?"

_Get over it. Don't let your dreams be memes and just. _Do_ it._

Which was what I inevitably did, since I actually needed to progress and get work done. Even if I end up embarrassing myself, at least that's better than doing nothing and stagnating like the ones who end up just staying at this town for years until the game ends… or their physical bodies expire.

An extremely buff chef with a rough and grouchy appearance, who was waiting outside of one of the restaurants, offered to reward me if I provided 15 Raw Boar Meats, which I had plenty of after all that wandering around during the first day. Upon submission, I nearly leapt up in surprise when my entire body glowed a golden hue for a quick minute.

Apparently I leveled up. _Yay~_ Now I'm one level closer to the endgame.

Speaking to the same NPC once again apparently prompted another quest where this time I'm asked to deliver a sandwich to his relative who worked at the blacksmith's forge several blocks from here. Upon relying with a confirmation, I was given a lunchbox all packed nice and pretty in a straw basket decorated with a patterned cloth.

**_[Grilled Pork Sandwich with Lettuce & Tomatoes - Quality : Heavenly]_**

For a brief second, I heard the devil within whisper into my ear, tempting me to simply take the sandwich for myself as that pathetic excuse of a breakfast earlier wasn't satisfactory enough.

Just look at how fine the pork slices were grilled to perfection! The fresh crispiness of the lettuce that almost appeared to sparkle when briefly exposed in the sunlight and teasing all those who spot it, juicy tomatoes all diced in equal amounts to balance out the meat with the bread and satisfy both the carnivore and vegetarian within each of us…!

But I immediately discarded that abrupt thought and tantalizing visual images away.

For all I know, there could be a hidden karma system in this game that's measuring each of the players. I know I would have implemented such a system if I had Kayaba Akihiko's ability, time, and resources to create a game of my own similar to Sword Art Online so that people would actually see the world as real, with real consequence to each of the player's actions and decisions.

…Don't give me that suspicious look. I know that I may come off as an asshole jerk who would kick a dog for money at times, especially with how rotten my eyes appear to be, but you simply _don't_ mess with food. Especially food that already belongs to others.

Upon reaching my destination located around south-west of the restaurant, I entered the forge called "Swordsmith Nekos" and met with the only person inside: a young woman with a small figure, a youthful face with her eyes always shut like those of a fox, and a beautiful smile that would have made my heart skip a beat if I had not already known beforehand that she was an NPC. Lazily balancing on her shoulder was a small gray cat that meowed at me when I stepped inside.

Must be because of this cat that this forge was called its current name, huh.

Handing over the lunchbox to her provided me with some pretty satisfactory results, along with a huge surprise. Enough EXP to level up once again as well as filling up the next EXP bar to half, some materials to enhance certain equipment, and ultimately, discounts up to 60% of the original price if I ever shop at her forge or purchase meals at the previous restaurant!

Holy cow did I luck out or what?

"It's simply a sales tactic," the NPC lady whose name I learned was Hanna, answered warmly upon seeing my bewildered face. "If word gets out about how people can benefit from helping me and my younger brother, that could bring more of you adventurers to my forge and purchase some of my finest work available. These weapons are made to be used rather than to be hung on the wall like decorations."

_…Huh?_

"I'm sorry, I must have misheard, but did you say, 'younger' brother?" That chef with a permanent scowl on his face from earlier looked like he was in his late thirties, while you look like you're in the prime of your youth!

"Why, yes." Hanna replied back, never dropping that smile of hers as she daintily placed one hand on her cheek with a soft "Ara, ara." It was at that moment I noticed just how toned the muscles in her arms deceivingly were. All that strength from the physical act of meticulously hammering away to mold iron, yet deceivingly thin as if to preserve her good figure. I couldn't help but think that chief and Hanna here swapped roles. "I know my immature Lenphad has a scary appearance, but really he is a kind person who aims to please. I beat all the bad aspects out of him back when we were children, after all, fufu~"

…

That background lore of her's is scary… I could almost see a Hannya mask engulfed with a dark miasma floating menacingly behind her for a brief second right when she said that, and all this time she had never dropped that now-unnerving smile nor shifted her fox eyes!

After receiving additional information about how she's also capable of teaching adventurers she found acceptable the Blacksmith skill (apparently I didn't make the cut for some reason, though upon asking she does confirm that she and other blacksmiths can accept any hand drawn designs to forge if provided the necessary materials), I attempted to purchase a sword from her with what little col I had left, only to discover that just like my Basic Sword, the Iron Sword that she had on sale was also marked with an **_[Unequipable]_** status window when I attempted to grasp to it.

…Am I forever incapable of wielding swords or any bladed weapons in here for whatever reason? I bet all my col that out of the 10,000 players here, I'm the only one cursed with this weird affliction! I call hax! Unfair play!

_It's only been the second day since you're here, you don't even have that much col to support such an outrageous claim anyways._

After giving me some comforting headpats while I was still moping in disappointment over my small inability, Hanna listed off two more quests with an apologetic smile, which I immediately accepted despite the obvious dangers. This time, I had to obtain ten Wolf Pelts and five Bulbous Tails from the monsters outside of the town, and submit them to a tailor store and Lenphad's tavern respectively before the day ends.

All that with just my current initial equipment and no weapons excluding my shield. Which doesn't really count as one.

After waving goodbye at the friendly NPC and strolling out of the stone gates that circled around the district, I currently find myself on the outskirts of the Town of Beginnings, facing down a small pack of four Rabid Wolves.

As their name implied, the brownish-gray furred canines had foam frothing from their growling mouths gaping wide open. Their exposed yellowed sharp jaws snapped repeatedly while I adjusted the shield strap on my right arm and widened my stance to brace myself. As I lightly hopped on my feet to keep myself from placing too much weight on the ground, one of them lost its patience, and with a series of furious barks, sprinted off towards me.

The moment the wolf's fangs got within my range, I immediately backhanded the feral animal's snout with my shield. Its glowing eyes comically widened with surprise as it yelped and stumbled about on the dirt and grass.

Remember what you went through and learned from that hell back then.

_The other three wolves' growls only grew louder, and they slowly began to pace around while eyeing me like a piece of high-grade raw steak._

First, distract Wolf B with a feint.

Then guard the target's blind lunge.

Cut with cross to left cheek

Discombobulate.

_The second wolf's attempt to follow up with another attack resulted in it wobbling around, hearing the ringing of its virtual brain bouncing around its digital skull due to the pair of precise palm strikes that struck its temples at the same time. The first stunned wolf finished shaking off its dazed status and proceeded to flex its hind legs in preparation for another leaping chomp._

Employ a guard with left arm; counter to Wolf A's ribs.

Duck under Wolf C's follow-up bite.

Grab C's front and rear legs… Now use target's body to block Wolf D's strike.

_The last wolf's teeth pried free from the jugular of the previous wolf as the latter let out a dying whine before bursting into a shower of digitized fragments. The remaining wolves were wary now, eyeing the figure as they circled around and finally surrounded him._

Rush at Wolf B and swing edge of shield at kidneys.

Repeat two more times… Terminated.

Spin around and guard Wolf D's tackle.

Push back right at that moment to throw target onto the dirt.

Pounce and traumatize stomach with shield until neutralized.

_As the fragments from the remains of the second and fourth wolf fade away, somewhere deep within the first wolf's programming was a tiny prompt to run. The initial settings overruled it nonetheless, and the wolf let another foamy drool drip from the corner of its black lips before attacking once again with another bark of rage._

Heel-kick to diaphragm.

Roundhouse kick to head.

Dislocate jaw entirely with a shield bash.

Wedge shield down Wolf A's mouth and hammer through.

In summary: _three dead, one fading with lower half of head ripped off, left arm damaged, shield durability down 17%, HP down to 64%. Physical recovery, 2 hours. Gained 140 EXP, 160 col, and four Wolf Pelts._

I gasped and collapsed to the ground, panting and sweating from the exertion that I just went through. My virtual lungs felt like they're on fire, exhausted from all of the forced controlled breathing that I willed my entire body to endure in order to stay focused for combat.

Months of inactivity before my SAO debut, and already I felt like a drowning, panicking swimmer who suddenly could not feel any sensations in their limbs due to not stretching prior to entering the pool of water. Which is especially weird since this "physical" body of mine was supposed to be my virtual avatar and therefore I shouldn't be feeling this sort of extraneous strain whatsoever.

_Perhaps what the mind feels is real actually _makes_ it real?_

Well, I really shouldn't have just been satisfied with simply running miles everyday, and actually should have pushed myself for more effort before.

"I-I'm… going to have to change that…" I huffed in between agonized breaths. "…Eventually. Not today… Let's not do that again… Too risky…"

_Instead of aggroing multiple enemies at once, you really should have just aimed for one-on-one fights, idiot._

* * *

IIt's after eleven boar thrashings and five more one-vs-one wolf wrestling matches when I finally encountered the monster that drops my last required material of Bulbous Tails for my quests.

A Bulbari. Apparently a small but rare monster species and a minor offshoot of the Little Nepenthes, another plant-like monster that I never heard of before. The Bulbari resembles a hedgehog-like version of a Bulbasaur sharing the height of an average chihuahua, with more leaves and flowers growing on the back of its white fur instead of spikes.

Apparently they spend most of the time with their main body buried under the soil with their decorated backs exposed as camouflage, as I accidentally kicked this little monster out from its hiding spot while walking in a random direction. Judging by its hate-filled red eyes, I definitely got its attention as it scrambled back up to its feet.

Squeaking in protest, the Bulbari trotted up to me to attack, but I simply let my shield take the brunt of its tackle before whacking away at it with my shield, dusting it with three hits and obtaining the first tail drop of the day.

It's actually weaker than a common mob such as the blue boars, and they provided almost triple the amount of EXP one would obtain from slaying a single boar. Unfortunately, they're also much more difficult to encounter, as it took me until late afternoon to finally gather all of the quest items required to turn in my quests from these monsters.

Basking in the orange glow of the descending sunset as small wyverns cawed like ravens high up in the distant sky, I trekked back to the Town of Beginnings and walked past another group of players who also appeared to have finished their day of farming. They were led by some dude with blue hair, and unfortunately I did not recognize any one of them.

Blue hair? Ah, right. There were hair dyes in this game. I remembered that Lisbeth had gotten pink hair or something. Where do you get them?

Blinking from the realization, I turned back to face them but they already left. I couldn't ask them if I could had joined their party or about the hair dyes. Dammit.

But judging by the lack of urgency in their behaviors, I doubted that they were former beta testers rushing for better gear. Or maybe I'm wrong and that the leader was one and generous enough to try supporting a group of newbies.

Either way, it's good to see that a small minority of the common players are beginning to take a step forward instead of wallowing in self-pity.

With a ghost of a smile, I returned to the block where Lenphad's tavern was located and submitted the Bulbous Tails to the NPC, who let out a rough laugh and stepped inside the restaurant.

…Huh? Where's my reward?

…

Okay. Guess I'll just wait then…

About four minutes of me awkwardly shuffling around outside while listening to clanging noises and an occasional roar of "What are you?! An idiot sandwich?!" Hanna's younger brother (still questionable! I call doubt!) returned and handed off a round of EXP, col, and a bottle filled with what appears to be a light pink fluid to me when I brought it up close to examine it.

_**[Bulbous Petal Tea - Quality : Calming] ~ Regen 5% of max HP for 40 seconds, cures Paralysis**_

Oh wow.

"Thanks a bunch, Lenphad," I graciously bowed to the chef who waved it away and shot me a stiff thumbs-up in response. "But this wasn't listed in the rewards. What's the occasion?"

"Just a little somethin' special. You're good in my book. Unlike the other Adventurers who I asked to deliver the meal to _Anego_, you were the only one who didn't run off with it."

…NPCs that actually keep track of the players' actions? That's legit both scary and amazing at the same time.

_But damn, people actually _did_ that?!_

Lenphad must have seen my look of utter faithlessness in humanity on my face since he just let out another harsh laugh.

"Listen, boyo, it ain't a huge loss. The loss of materials can be made up with another quest that other boys can end up doin'. Plus, since this mornin' the little numbah of adventurers I've met today seemed awfully busy with somethin'. Rushin' about and everythin' like the castle's fallin' and the world's endin'…"

All I could do in response to that was let out a weak chuckle. Cus really, everyone here just lost their access to their original world. It might as well _be_ the end of _their_ world.

The chef pointed to a shop across the street. "That there's the tailor shop. But first how about ya tell me what ya want for dinner? I'll get mah boys to whip it up while you hand over the goods and have it ready when finished."

I do have a meal discount for Lenphad's tavern from the earlier quest… Might as well start using it now.

"I'll take the cheapest dinner set that you got." I said, before rushing to explain myself upon seeing one of his busy eyebrows rise up questioningly. "I'm just a starting adventurer, I think I should at least try to save up for supplies, weapons, and enhancements later. I promise that once I have more col, I'll try out your fancier meals."

"Hm… sounds good." He nodded with approval before entering his restaurant. I sweatdropped as Lenphad's angered exclamation of "Get back to work!" and "I never, ever, ever, ever met someone I believe in… as little as you!" echoed out of the windows.

Don't question it… Just walk away and pretend you're not involved…

Entering the above-mentioned shop with a bell ringing from the door's motions, I saw a flamboyantly dressed player engaged in a heavy discussion with the plain-looking shop NPC, who raised a finger upon noticing my entrance which abruptly ended the conversation.

The player shot me a dirty look for the interruption, which I mindfully disregarded. Oi, oi, glare any harsher than that and I'll think that you can shoot laser beams out of your eyes, woman!

"Don't mind me," I said while opening my Inventory and pulling out the Wolf Pelts into my arms. "Just turning in your quest."

The NPC woman gave me her thanks as she accepted the drops and proceeded to provide me enough EXP to gain another level up. I would have celebrated briefly in my head if I couldn't feel the other player still peering at me as the golden glow dissipated.

…

Yeah, she's still staring at me for whatever reason.

Sighing, I narrowed my eyes and focused on this person. Messy looking hair, a simple gaudy coat with a fur collar, and sharp eyes that continue to stab daggers straight at me. "Got a problem?" I briskly asked, almost defensively as she let out a snort.

"Your eyes are rotten. Unmotivated. Exhausted. Belying a bestial nature within."

…

G-goddammit it's always my eyes, huh?! Low blow! I may have come to peace with it, but even I don't want to hear that again here!

"But you…" She continued on, humming a bit to herself while drumming her fingers on her other crossed arm. "You have absolute determination. No matter how difficult the challenge, how painful the journey, you would only accept the ending that you obtain with your own two hands." A chuckle escaped from her lips as I hesitantly inched closer to the door. Just what is she going on about? "Yes, I see it now… A natural hidden gem, made brighter by the rough edges and flaws that surround it. I can tell that you will be a fine subject for me to design, indeed."

…

Nani the heck?

Did I just get character psychoanalyzed with just five minutes of observation? By a stranger, no less?

"Nope, that's wrong." I shrugged my shoulders and shook my head back and forth with a half-turned self-deprecating smile. Ah, the universal 'I don't know' pose, how useful you are. Even the simplest of individuals would understand what that means. But overall it was to shake off my initial discomfort with the way she hit a bit too close to home. "I don't think that I'm that simple. I'm just a side character who's a slothful liar and a selfish coward with soulless eyes, as you first said. Who are you again?"

A smirk spread across her face. "Remember the name Ashley, for I will be the one to own the fashion industry here in Aincrad! Clothes make the man, so I shall become Fashion itself!"

…Nope, still don't know you are. And not with that gaudy coat you got right there.

_Haah, you may end up just eating your own words if you're not careful, me…_

* * *

_**[Baked BBQ Baby Back Boar Ribs - Quality : Savory]**_

For what's supposed to be the cheapest meal in the restaurant, Lenphad's cooking was _extremely_ delicious. That night when I returned back to the tavern and took a seat at an empty table, I couldn't help but tear into the meat the moment the dish was placed in front of me by a waiter and my nose picked up it's appetizing scent

Judging by how there were only other NPCs inside the restaurant, I was pretty shocked to discover that I was the first player to actually buy a meal here.

_Most MMORPGs are all about them high numbers: high attack power, high defense, etcetera, etc. Hardcore gamers wouldn't really focus on the simplier things like what in-game food tastes like - unless they give stat boosts or any beneficial perks like increasing rare drop rates._

Once the meal was scarfed down and firm inside my stomach, I, very satisfied and pleasantly full, said my farewells to Lenphad and returned back to the inn. With all of today's quest rewards all cashed in, I had more than enough to stay for five more nights, and I got confirmation by the chef NPC that I could repeat each of those quests once every day.

All in all, it was a very productive and successful second day in _Sword Art Online_ for me. A proper foundation established for me to get started for the next day and after.

_You still didn't get any upgraded gear, nor any usable skills whatsoever._

_U-urusai!_ Having a concrete plan on what to do is more important, and once I'm sufficiently prepared I can move on to slightly more difficult content!

I followed the same schedule for the upcoming days: a quick breakfast of stale bread at the inn I stay at, delivering Lenphad's meal to the forge, repair the durability of any damaged equipment while selling the accumulated useless loot at Hanna's, grinding and farming for monster EXP and extra drops in the hunting fields, then submitting the missions and obtaining dinner at the tavern at the evening before tucking in for the night.

…

…

…

And lo and behold, a week has gone by since the disastrous First Day of _Sword Art Online_'s official launch.

I was on my way to Swordsmith Nekos to deliver Lenphad's heavenly pork sandwich when I chose on a whim to take a different route than usual. One wrong turn there, several stairways forward, and a random split-second decision to enter through an ominous-looking door resulted in me standing before the Monument of Life.

It was an extremely large stone tablet that resembled more like an obelisk deep inside a temple located near the main plaza. In a better world, it would have continued to be the Room of Resurrection from the beta instead, where players would simply respawn when they get killed in an action-packed video game, joke or rage about their loss, and try again once more.

But here? Nothing but a solemn reminder of what things could have been. A chamber filled with deafening silence.

I stared in horror at the 10,000 player names that were engraved in a very fine font on the tablet's surface.

Specifically, the notably marked names that were spread throughout the entire list. More than 200 names were crossed out, with the details all recorded right next to them in the available spaces.

**_Arvin [~ 20:30 AST, November 06] - Suicide by [jumping off Aincrad]_**

**_Coper [~ 20:46 AST, November 06] - Killed by [Little Nepenthes]_**

**_Kara [~ 01:05 AST, November 07] - Killed by [Blue Boar]_**

**_Kobatz [~ 23:01 AST, November 06] - Suicide by [jumping off Aincrad]_**

**_Kojiro [~ 12:36 AST, November 07] - PK'd by [Musashi]_**

**_Moony [~ 02:43 AST, November 13] - Suicide by [jumping off Aincrad]_**

**_Obotz [~ 17:18 AST, November 08] - Killed by [Grass Serpent]_**

**_Rikuvi [~ 22:44 AST, November 06] - Suicide by [jumping off Aincrad]_**

**_Tenbu [~ 11:57 AST, November 10] - Poisoned by [Infested Bat]_**

**_Yugaro [~ 08:34 AST, November 08] - Suicide by [jumping off Aincrad]_**

…

…Dear god, all of those suicides… all of those deaths… And there's already a couple of recorded player kills here and there.

Just looking at this makes my head spin.

_How many people could you have prevented from getting their in-game names crossed out here if you actually tried something to benefit the community instead of being so concerned for yourself? Tried to at least speak someone out of suicide even if that's extremely unlikely? Or even done anything as small as spreading word to check out the in-game player manual?_

This wasn't just an unnecessarily large tombstone; it was also a blatant and chilling reminder that Death was _always_ lurking about and ready to snuff out another flame of life.

"It's pretty shocking, isn't it? All those who died…"

My eyes scrolled down the names, all neatly arranged alphabetically. A Japanese name here, a made-up fictional name there… I could even spot some names that were blatantly taken from myths and legends.

_As well as some rather uncreative names as well. Who thought it would be a good idea to go by "N00bm(a)ster69"?_

…

Ah, I see Asuna's name near the top. Kirito's closer near the middle, as well as the other main casts' scattered amidst the crowd. Good, I didn't break canon (yet?) and they're still alive and kicking.

_Hm?_

I stopped and stared at the one name that caught my eye when I was about to turn and leave. It's firmly listed in place up above, easy to be forgotten but still physical proof of its existence

_**Domeki**_. My character name, up there among the 10,000 listed.

…I guess this is actually, really happening, huh.

"Are you looking for some people on this monument?"

I numbly turned to the side, finally acknowledging that I was not the only person in this haunted room since a couple of minutes earlier.

A nimble-looking girl, donned in a messy hooded cloak that nearly concealed her messy golden-brown hair. A form-fitting top, baggy bottoms, and simple traveling boots can be seen in between the gaps of her cloak, and I noted that her arms and ankles were securely wrapped in bandages. The green cursor above her head indicated that she is a fellow player.

I couldn't help but let my OCD notice the bits of chuuni-influences in her choice of attire.

_You shouldn't be saying that when you yourself have a pretty dark history back in eighth grade. In fact, you know for sure that it isn't fully cured after all._

"Hey now, my eyes are up here. I know that I'm beautiful, but trying to take a peek at my feminine figure will cost you."

Initial surprise turned to annoyance as I stared at the speaker with as much deadpan as I could muster. "I've seen better." I retorted with mild disdain, not bothering to mention that they were only in NSFW art and model poses for drawing class. Why are you looking at me like that? I'm still a young hormonal male with no prior relationship experience! Plus, it provides additional research for the human anatomy for character designs!

_Dude, that's still way too much unwanted info._

"But making fun of me isn't why you approached me in the first place, isn't it?" I continued without missing a beat. "So, who are you, and what do you want from me? I'd rather not beat around the bush."

She took a step closer, and I could see that whisker-like makeup was applied on her cheeks. Add in her revealed smirk, she overall gave off the impression of a cat that just spotted its next prey to toy with. "Girls won't like you if you rush them," she taunted, wagging a finger that I'm tempted to just chomp at with how close it was dangling at my face.

But then her eyes took on a more formal and serious shine as she composed herself. "I'm Argo the Rat," she placed a hand on her chest as she introduced herself.

"And I want your help and contribution in compiling data so that I can create a guide book to give everyone a better fighting chance of surviving this death game."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I cannot help but feel ever so grateful to the people who worked on the Sword Art Online wiki for providing the foundations for me to expand my imagination and add my own touch to the world that is Aincrad for this fanfic. My god, that timeline they got there is a godsend. I can't believe how huge this world is (and how much the anime has chosen to skip past to get through the plot back when it was airing), but I can tell that production values force many animation studios and other departments to prioritize different things that the original fans may not see eye-to-eye with.**

**I was a bit hesitant about some parts in this chapter, especially with that small scuffle with low-level mob monsters and how I added OCs to be interactable NPCs, but I decided that this is the way I want the story to flow (though I may change how I write the combat scenes in later chapters). As a self-insert fic, I feel that in regards to the quests and such it's pretty inevitable to have OCs, so I'll do my absolute best to limit the number. Plus, too much was left undiscussed in the one-month time skip between Episodes 1 and 2 of the anime, so I did some research in the beginning chapters of the Progressive manga so that I could get a better image of the world and the character interactions.**

**Fans may discover that there were a couple of cameo appearances. Ashley, who would later become known as Aincrad's number one tailor, and the legendary information dealer herself, Argo, at the very end. I'm still bothered at how the original story skipped over Argo until she was further expanded upon in the Progressive novel, but it is what it is.**

**As of August 13, 2019, the time when this A/N is made, there are 119 views, 15 followers, 13 favorites, and 2 reviews. Compared to how my previous works started, I can't help but feel ever so grateful for the good starting response, even if it may be because of the differences in popularity between SAO and the other games that my fics are based off of.**

**Shoutouts to Unknown-Ark for being the first person to favorite this small project of mine, and Angron for being the first person to post a review. Thank you for the positive feedback and recommendations; it's the small things that help boost my confidence and creativity to continue the things I love.**

**Alright, that's all from me. If you enjoyed this fic, please post a review, and feel free to PM me any questions that you got. As always, thanks for reading, and have a nice day, y'all~**


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